DENGUE is getting too close for comfort. It has become personal. People—friends—ceased to be statistics but has become flesh-and-blood.

Two weeks ago, I received frantic messages in my Messenger, asking for prayers and blood donations from Gen-Zers Catholic charismatic servants. Several of their classmates were struck by dengue.

And lately, even adults, senior citizens. The father-in-law of a feast builder was rushed to the hospital. All age groups are at risk.

These are not isolated cases. The Philippines has more dengue-related deaths even it has fewer cases than its Asean neighbors Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

The Department of Health said it has recorded a total of 167,607 dengue cases as of July 27. This was 98 percent higher than compared to the number of cases recorded in the same period last year.

Data from the Provincial Health Office of Negros Occidental showed that as of June 2019, there was a 73 percent increase in dengue cases in the province.

Between January and June of this year, a total of 2,800 dengue cases were already recorded; an increase of 1,600 cases compared to the same period last year.

According to the UN’s World Health Organization, dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection.

The infection causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue.

The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades. About half of the world’s population is now at risk.

Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.

Severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian and Latin American countries.

There is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue, but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below 1%.

Yet even the Climate Centre, a public benefit organization under Netherlands law, warned of dengue. The CC is a specialist reference center of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Based in a temperate European country, the IFRC warned of a possible increase in something called “vector-borne disease,” such as dengue fever. The threat of a possible outbreak of dengue fever now exists in Europe.

An ounce of prevention is worth a thousand cures. Remember, cleanliness is next to Godliness. Stay safe. The next one to fall to dengue might be a loved one. Or you.

bqsanc@yahoomaail.com